Return of the Assassin (All the King's Men) (16 page)

She'd had enough of this shit. She batted his hands away and spun out of his grasp. "What's your goddamn problem, asshole?" She gave Malek a shove that sent him back against a filing cabinet. "Goddamn! You act like my mate one second and like you want to throw me in front of a train the next." If this was the way he was going to behave, then deal off. She didn't want him. He'd had his chance and he'd blown it, so it was time for Plan B. She jabbed her finger at his surprised face. "Let's get this straight, jackass. I don't want to be mated. Got that? I have no interest in being your doormat for you to wipe your feet on whenever you want to kick me around. Fuck you and your moody-assed bullshit." She gave him another shove and stalked away, hands on her hips, head down. Then she swung back around. "I thought you were the nice one. What the hell happened to you?" She threw her hands up and looked away. "You know what? Forget it. I don't care, anymore."

But she
did
care. That was the problem. And no matter what lies she said out loud about not being interested in mating, deep down, she wanted him. Even now, if he touched her, pressed his lips to hers, or even so much as gave her a look that hinted that he wanted her to scratch an itch on his cock…oh God, but she would take whatever he gave. And one look at Micah let her know that he knew it, too. The guy was clearly trying not to smile.

As for the rest of the gawkers in the room, they stared in stunned silence at her outburst. But no one seemed more shocked by what she had said than Malek, whose expression swam between perplexed, pissed, and apologetic.

She stepped up to him, not ready to end her pent-up tirade. In fact, she felt like she was just getting started, and not even Micah's knowing smirk was enough to stop her. "You were so nice before, watching over me, not letting anyone get near me for fear they'd hurt me, and now you want nothing to do with me. Well, kiss my ass. I'm out of here." She spun, marched to the door, flung it open, and barged into the hallway.

If she didn't get out of there and find some less tense air, she was going to blow a fuse. Not only that, he had hurt her. Maybe everyone else in that room besides Micah would believe her lies, but she couldn't hide the truth from herself. Now that she had seen Malek again, she felt as drawn to him as a squirrel to a nut. And wasn't that a fitting analogy? Because Malek was seriously nuts. Even so, she felt as if an invisible thread connected her to him…as if she'd been following a trail of bread crumbs that led to him.

Lucky her.

Malek wasn't the male she remembered. What had happened to the sweet, protective male Malek had been before? He was anything but now.

She was stupid to have held even an ounce of hope that she could be someone's mate again. She had wanted so desperately to believe Trevor and give Malek a chance—to run free as Trevor suggested—but the more she was around Malek, the more upset she became. Because, damn it, he reminded her of Armand. She had been physically attracted to Armand, too, but he had been a monster. And now Malek looked like he was shaping up to be just the same. He didn't want her. He just wanted to
possess
her. Just like Armand had. To hell with that! She had been right to keep her distance, even from Malek.

So then why did each step she took away from him stab her heart with pain and fill her nerves with panic?

Fool! You fool! Go after her.

For once, Malek didn't have a nasty comeback for The Voice. In fact, every muscle in his body tensed as if preparing to run and chase Gina down.

Micah pointed to Sev. "Go get her. Trevor, go with him. Make sure she doesn't leave. Lakota, report to Dispatch and wait for me. I'm with you tonight."

Malek began to follow the others out, but Micah stopped him. "Not you." He grabbed his arm and pointed to a chair. "Sit."

He was not in the mood for this shit and refused to sit down. Instead, he paced to the far wall and leaned against it. "This is your doing. I know it. She didn't just show back up here. You made her come back. Why?" He could guess Micah's reasons and had a funny feeling he would be dead-on.

Micah shut the door and squared him up. "You know why."

Anger burned the inside of his skin. Micah was meddling where he didn't belong, forcing Gina like a hard wedge between him and Carmen to drive them apart. "You had no right." The words hissed out of him, tainted with outrage, and he pushed away from the wall, a picture of male aggression.

Micah stepped toward him, mirroring Malek's body language. "So what if I called her back? I told you I was willing you to live, didn't I? This is my will exerting force over yours. You got a problem with that?"

The two glared at each other, and Malek's unspoken
hell yes, I've got a problem with that
went without saying. "Well, I'm willing you to kiss my ass."

Micah ignored him. "You
will
take her home, and you
will
watch over her, and you
will
get your head out of your ass and take her as your mate, Malek."

"You can't force me."

"I won't have to."

True. If she was in his home, in such close proximity, he wouldn't be able to resist her. Even now, his cock practically wept to be inside her. If Micah forced this—and it looked like he was—he would have to find a way to resist her until he could get her out of his home. Somehow he would have to find a way to put her in someone else's care, because it was clear Micah was going to be a hard-ass on the issue, and putting her in harm's way was out of the question.

Damn Micah to hell for interfering like this and putting him between a rock and a hard place.

I know where you need to put your hard place.

Butt out.

"You have no right—" Malek started to say again.

Micah cut him off. "I have every right. I'm in charge. You got that? Or do I need to remind you again?" He gestured toward Malek's throat. "What I say goes, and I'm telling you to take her home and stay there with her until you're no longer a walking corpse."

"Asshole," Malek muttered under his breath. He might have to follow orders, but he didn't have to like them, and he certainly didn't have to leave Micah's office without making it clear how much he didn't appreciate being jerked around.

"Calling me names isn't going to get you out of watching over her."

"I know what you're doing, motherfucker." Malek leaned forward and stabbed a finger in Micah's direction, unable to keep his mouth shut any longer.

"Oh?" Micah opened his arms innocently. "I thought we'd already determined that."

"Yeah, well, I have a few choice words for you on the matter."

Micah chuffed. "You could start by saying thank you."

"Thank you? How 'bout fuck you? Mind your own goddamn business. This is my life, and if I want to fuck it up, that's my choice, asshole. You are messing where you don't belong. I'm fine. I'll
be
fine. I just need time, and your meddling isn't helping."

Micah walked behind his desk then turned, glanced down, and leaned forward, planting both fists on the desk's surface. "Where were you last night, Malek? What were you doing before you came in here this morning?"

Malek frowned and pulled back. His mouth moved, but no words came out, only air. Last night he had brutally fucked Trina and had contemplated setting up a St. Andrew's Cross in his basement while tripping down the stairs into hell.

"Is that your idea of fine, Malek?" Micah said quietly. "Huh? Buying whores every night,
brutally fucking
them, leaving them bruised and battered?" Micah stood upright, and his voice grew louder. "Is that what you're going to do with all this time you need to be," he made air quotes, "
fine
."

Outrage and humiliation dueled for supremacy. Knowing that Micah had seen his debased behavior and was now using it against him grated his nerves like barbed wire. "That's none of your damn business." He said it as if he could punch Micah with just a thought. Damn him. Micah had seen the degrading shit he pulled with his nightly buys. He had seen the way he abused them for his own pleasure, not that pleasure was easy to find with them. They weren't what he wanted and never would be.

"And, uh, how are those conversations coming with yourself? Huh, Malek? Have any good discussions lately?" Micah strolled back around the desk.

"Bastard." Rage and resentment skyrocketed in his veins at the invasion of his privacy. "You and your fucking mindfreak powers can go to hell. What goes on in my mind is none of your business."

"You're a loose cannon right now, Malek, so everything you are and everything you do is my business."

"Oh really?"

Micah pushed forward. "That's right."

"You son of a bitch," Malek said, chest-bumping him.

Micah's navy blue irises fired with anger as he surged forward against Malek. "I've had enough of this. You need a wake-up call like no one I've ever known, so I'm forcing the issue that you've been too chickenshit for centuries to deal with. If you don't like it, that's too damn bad."

The two stood chest to chest, neither giving an inch.

"Go to hell, Micah! I don't need you telling me how to live my life and how to deal with my problems."

"Could have fooled me. You're long overdue to deal with Carmen's death. Get over it already."

"Oh, is that how you dealt with Katarina's death, Micah? Huh? By
getting over it
?" Malek made air quotes of his own and sneered.

Micah's eyes narrowed. Malek was pushing his luck, but he didn't care.

"You little asshole," Micah said, giving him a shove.

Malek shoved back. "Doesn't feel so good having the tables turned, does it?"

Micah seemed to grow a few inches taller as he swelled with anger. "At least I didn't internalize my pain and suffering, becoming a sterile, OCD, whitewashed version of myself who held entire conversations inside my head with some made-up little demon only known to me." Micah came at him like a pit bull in a dogfight. "I've seen what's inside there." Micah popped his index finger against Malek's forehead, forcing Malek's head to bounce back. "I've seen the fucked-up wasteland your insides have become because you refuse to accept Carmen's death. At least I accepted Katarina's." Micah stalked him now, bumping chests with him, forcing him backward despite Malek's attempt to resist. "I accepted that Kat was gone, and I lived in the seven realms of hell until I found Sam. You? You refuse to accept it, you little asswipe. Carmen. Is. Dead. DEAD!" Micah seethed and breathed heavily, and then lowered his voice to a lethal hiss. "Your salvation is waiting right outside that door." Micah pointed toward the hall. "But you're too stubborn to accept it and let yourself be happy."

"Screw you, Micah!" Malek had had enough and elbowed Micah's ribcage.

With a lightning back step, Micah cocked his arm and drove it into Malek's abdomen, and then slowly backed up as Malek fell forward, choking and gasping for air. It felt like every organ in his body had just been shoved up inside his chest and esophagus. Strong bastard! What had Malek been thinking going up against Micah like that? Oh, that's right, he hadn't been thinking.

"That's for Katarina, asshole," Micah said, wiping the back of his hand over his mouth.

Sucking up his pride even if he couldn't suck down enough air to breathe, Malek stood and faced Micah as square as he could with his liver taking up residence in his throat.

"Just butt out, Micah." A cough that sounded more like a croak shot from his lungs as just the simple task of inhaling seemed to be too much. "Just butt out."

"Fine, but you're still taking Gina home with you. You hear me?" Micah pushed his long sleeves up his arms as if he were mad at the fabric, then he lanced Malek with a glare so icy it was a wonder he didn't freeze. "Do you hear me?"

"I hear you, asshole!" Malek flipped Micah off.

Micah sat down and combed back his long, black hair with his fingers.

"Get out of here, Malek," Micah said, not even looking at him. "Before I kick your ass so hard you won't know whether you're shitting, pissing, or puking. I do not want to see you back here for twenty-four hours, and it's quite possible I won't even want to see you then."

Malek frowned. He really had hit a nerve with Micah by bringing up Katarina.

"What the hell am I supposed to do with her for twenty-four hours?"

Micah's head never moved, which made him look even more ominous when his gaze shot to Malek's. "I'd suggest you fuck her and get it over with, but things being such as they are, I doubt that's going to happen, so I don't give a damn what you do with her. Just do it where I don't have to see you. Got it?"

"Sure. Yeah. I got it." Malek could finally take a breath again, and he turned and yanked open the door. "Maybe I'll see you in a week then."

"That'd be fucking spectacular," Micah said from behind him.

That asshole. Micah had no right to interfere and stick his nose up Malek's grill. Okay fine, he felt protective of Gina. Fine, he would even admit his body had betrayed him and struck up a bond between her and him. But that didn't mean he had to bend. And it didn't mean he wanted her or liked that she was his mate.

To the contrary. He hated it. Hated every goddamn second of wanting her in a way he hadn't wanted another female since Carmen.

Anger fueled his heavy march down the hall as he followed Gina's fragrant scent, so luxurious and intoxicating. But Malek wouldn't give Micah the satisfaction of accepting her.

Yeah, right. Too late, buddy. Once she's in your home and within arm's length, you're done for. You won't be able to hold back.

He shook off The Voice, determined to stay strong. If only he could convince himself he could, but in his heart he knew the truth. No male was strong enough to refuse the mating call and maintain his sanity, as he was beginning to discover. And that just pissed him off more, because this was a fight he couldn't win. He could posture and dig in his heels all he wanted, but in the end, the rational part of him knew he wouldn't be able to hold himself back for long if she was in his home. It was only a matter of time, and he would be on her and in her like a flower needed sunlight and rain.

Her scent led him to the break room, where he rounded the corner and glared first at Sev, then Trevor, and finally at Gina. "Let's go." He shifted so he was standing sideways in the door, head lowered, and his gaze directed back out into the hall. Jesus, but she smelled good.

"This is bullshit," she said, standing.

"You're telling me." His glare flicked askance in her direction, mostly because he wanted to look at her again, see her flawless skin, perfectly proportioned body, and striking face. She was beauty incarnate. Perfection.

He had to get himself under control.

Trevor stood and joined her as she proceeded with caution toward him, but Sev had the sense not to test him and stayed behind.

Gina parked a few feet away, her arms crossed. She glared at him out of the corner of her eye. "Where are we going?"

"My place."

"Fuck that," she said. "I'm not going to be locked up all day in your home."

Trevor shook his head. "I second that."

Malek scoffed. "I third it, but…" He sucked his teeth and gave a nonchalant shrug. "Those are my orders, sweetheart."

She scowled, and angry reluctance practically rolled off of her. "Great. I get to be locked up with Jekyll and Hyde. Fabulous." She rolled her eyes and started out the door.

He started after her, but Trevor grabbed his arm and yanked him back, all male aggression. Which settled about as well as an Ebola outbreak in New York City.

Malek flung off Trevor's arm and got in his face. "Don't touch me," he said between clenched teeth. "I'm not in the mood."

Trevor met him eye to eye. "Neither am I, asshole, and if you hurt her, I will hunt you down and kill you. Is that clear? She's my family, and I don't care what shit you've got going on in your head, but I won't stand by and let her get hurt by you or anyone else."

With an acid stare, Malek's narrowed eyes locked onto Trevor's. "Do I look like I care?"

"Not really," Trevor said, "which is why I'm giving you a warning."

"Save it." He shoved Trevor back and looked at Gina, who had stopped in the middle of the hall.

"Are you finished showing everybody how big your dick is?" she said. "Or should I take a seat and wait for you to prove to everyone how big and tough you are?"